


Late Knight Perfection

by hella_gent



Category: LEGO Nexo Knights
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, warning for lances garbage parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2018-11-15 07:31:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11226231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hella_gent/pseuds/hella_gent
Summary: Lance Richmond has gotten everything he has ever asked for in life, everything except a rain check to the Knight's Academy





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been having an awful writers block with later chapters so I decided "what the hey!" and now I'm putting it on here from my tumblr because this fandom is severely lacking.

After a long week of goofing off and not doing anything, Lance Richmond needed a break. TGIF meant it was time to hit the clubs and he was so ready.

At least those were his plans before he passed the kitchens, passing a dirty peasant, close to his own age, awkwardly sweeping in the doorway.

He wasn't the faintest bit athletic, but Lance ran out of there and into his parents study. They didn't seem to notice him come in, so he took the opportunity to catch his breath and fix his hair before he cleared his throat.

Neither looked at him, but he did notice one of his mother's eyebrows lift fractionally.

“Who's the new servant?”

She didn't respond.

“Y’know, the dirty one with the spiky hair.”

“It's just some poor beggar boy I hired at the market, son. He was asking for such cheap wages, I just had to hire him.”

“I want him.”

Both of his parents actually looked up at him.

“Whatever for?” His father asked.

“Didn't you see him! The guy’s a massive beefcake! I've been wanting a body guard and-”

“Fine, fine,” his mother waved her hand, turning back to her reading, “Just don’t get his dirt on the furniture, we just had everything cleaned.”

Lance didn't particularly care what was said after the okay and was already out the door. Thankfully the servant was still trying to sweep. He must have been asking for pure pocket change given hiring actual _people_ for servants had gone out of style ages ago. Everyone who’s anyone uses squirebots these days.

“You!” The other jumped. Lance grinned.

“You just earned yourself a promotion!” His eyes lit up.

“Really?”

“Really!” The blonde waved for him to follow and head up to his room. Dennis was already there waiting for him. Lance dropped back on the bed and he was at his side in an instant.

“You just earned the best job in the whole house - my personal guard!”

Clay watched the way Dennis scurried around him, fluffing pillows and fixing his hair, and decided that probably wasn’t true.

“If that’s what you want, then shouldn’t I be standing outside the door, sir?” 

“Meh, maybe? The specifics don’t matter right now.” Lance sat up on the bed. “My parents would lose it if they knew you were in here like _that_. The bathroom’s down the hall; go get cleaned up and we can get started.”

The other hesitated, looking a tad confused, but complied. Turning to Dennis, he explained that this new servant, guard… guy, would be staying with him in his servant’s quarters beside his room. It was small, intended more for squirebots than for people, but it would work until he could work out something else. Something his parents wouldn’t care getting dirty. No amount of cleaning could take the impression of peasantry out of things.

The rest of that first Friday night was spent dressing Clay in some of the finest clothes he’d ever worn while Lance vaguely described duties to him. Overall it seemed like his typical squire position, though the addition of “anything Dennis can’t do” was a little daunting. With the pay increase he was being offered though, if it didn’t turn out he could just take the money and be well off until he found another job.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2 upload my dudes, i was thinking of this while watching the show and realized i hadnt uploaded it??
> 
> the only warning for this chapter is that lance's parents are assholes

Thus far the only _real_ guarding he'd done was going to the market with Lance every other morning. Even then, there really wasn't anything to protect him from, save the occasional fan. Lance didn't even buy anything, he just wandered around taking selfies.

Most days Clay watched Dennis. Watched the way he did his chores and how he spoke to Lance. Lance was always contented with Dennis flitting around him, doing anything he asked and then some, making him as comfortable as possible. _That_ was what was expected from this new job, and Clay would do his best to do so.

The early morning sun had just begun to rise when Caly dropped to the floor for his push ups, the last part of his long workout routine… which needed a revamp seeing as he was just starting to work up a sweat.

The tiny door to the servant’s quarters creaked open, alerting him to Dennis’ arrival - at least until a weight settled across his back.

“You’re up early.”

Lance clicked his tongue. “Couldn’t get back to sleep - stupid birds, don’t they know who I am?”

Clay laughed. “I don’t think so, Master Lance; they are just birds.”

Lance sat up higher on the other’s back, enjoying the way his hair bounced just so with every up push.

“How can you do this every morning?” Lance fell back, draping himself off Clay’s side, hair dangerously close to the floor. Clay struggled to continue and not to let it touch. “Just watching all this sweaty working makes me feel sticky and gross.”

“You should try it sometime, it really wakes you up.” 

“Pfft, no way. That’s what you and Dennis are for.”

Clay carefully tipped onto his side, sliding Lance gracefully onto the floor beside him.

“My parents are hosting a party tonite.” Lance said, not looking up from where he was studying his nails. “You should come; a bodyguard like you will make me look great… well, _greater.”_

“Are you… trying to invite me?” Clay couldn’t stifle his laugh. “As your bodyguard I’m pretty sure I’m required to attend, Master Lance.”

His smile only widened when the blonde stood, grumbling something about “no appreciation” before storming off.

As it turned out, Clay really wished he had been formally invited. At least then he’d be able to leave this party when it started turning south.

The party itself wasn’t exactly bad; it was much more opulent and over the top than he had expected, filled to the brim with gold food and fine gold china. He shouldn’t have been so surprised, seeing as most that the Richmond’s owned was glittery and bright and begging to be shown off. No, what made the whole ordeal bad was the way the Richmond’s spoke to their son.

Nearly everything they said to him was barbed with thinly veiled insults. Mrs. Richmond was hardly as subtle as her husband with them, outright saying her son was disappointing, greeted with a wave of tittering laughter from those around her. Mr. Richmond’s were hard to pick up on until you really thought about it, but then you would realize just how venomous and biting it was. It all made it difficult for Clay to remain aloof as he was required to. Lance, on the other hand, laughed along with his parents and their guests and didn’t seem to be affected by it.

“And what of your studies, Lancelot?” Mrs. Richmond asked.

Lance twiddled with his fork, “Oh, they’re progressing! But I mean, I’m a busy guy! Why can’t Dennis just do it for me?”

“Lancelot.” Mr. Richmond dropped his smooth tone for the first time that night, “If you don’t finish your studies, how will you ever get into the Knights Academy?” _Lance? At the Knight’s Academy?_ Lance needed Dennis to sit him up when he woke up in the morning, how could they think Lance would want to enroll somewhere he would be required to be selfless and help those less than him?

Lance only laughed, disregarding it all. “Don’t worry, father! Once I’m a big star, celebrity actor, the academy will be begging for me to attend!”

The Richmonds exchanged a look.

“Are you referring to that little thing you do? Darling, nothing could come of that, you don’t have the skill for anything more.”

“Richmonds make better knights than they do actors, Lancelot. Always have, and they always will.”

Their noble guests laughed, a high laugh that Clay was starting to suspect all nobles to have at this point. The host family didn’t, however; Cuthbert Richmond stared his son down until the young blonde turned away, looking back to his golden food and trying to laugh. He tried, but Clay knew Lance couldn’t keep up the act. 

No one took much notice of it, as their attention was turned to him.

“Why don’t you have your new ‘bodyguard’ help you prepare?” Lance plastered a smile on his face in time for his father to meet his eyes again. “He is indeed a ‘total beefcake’.”

The following laughter was uproarious, and Clay was certain he wasn’t the only one who’s face was burning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i started rewatching the show and i was thinking of working on this fic again. ive always done this one super casually but i do have a plot in mind

He had a feeling something was wrong before Dennis had even tried nudging him. No one could pace like that and not have something wrong. That didn’t mean he wasn’t surprised by the way Dennis clicked his claws together, electricity arcing over his frame.

“What’s wrong? What’s-”

“It’s Master Lance! I’ve tried everything, but I can’t snap him out of it! I’ve tried offering to do his school, sneaking him his favorite commoner food, sharing his selfies on social media, but he won’t-”

Clay was already up and walking to the door. “What’s wrong with Lance?”

“He’s - He’s - He’s -”

Clay sighed, watching Dennis twitch and try to reset himself before he crawled through the servant’s door

Lance's room was dim, the only light emanating from the fairy lights strewn up over the beds canopy. Dennis must have plugged them in while trying to snap Lance out of it. Most of the time the blonde would plug them in himself to get the lighting he liked for his selfies. All it did now was highlight the way he was curled up at the head of the bed.

He shifted, a long hard sniffle echoing through the room. _Oh boy._

“Lance?” He approached carefully, kneeling a respectful distance at the foot of the bed. 

The blonde clutched his knees harder, just barely lifting his head to see his servant. His hair, a tangled, straggly mess, hung low, covering part of his face. The rest of his face was marred with black streaks of mascara that continued to run the longer he cried.

Seeing someone like Lance, who took so much care into how he looked, looking like this. Clay found it unsettling.

Lance must have noticed how long he had staring, as he twisted, flinging himself into his bottomless pit of pillows with a cry of “Don't look at me!”

Dennis had composed himself - or rebooted, whatever squirebots did - and scurried to Lance’s side with a box of golden tissues. Lance rolled to face him.

“Dennis,” He croaked softly, making his servant jump to offer his tissues. His master made no move to take them, “I don’t want to cry anymore. Won’t you cry for me instead?”

It had to have been the nicest he’d heard Lance talk to Dennis. Of course Dennis scrambled to comply. It was a valiant effort, but robots couldn’t cry like a person could, and Lance started whimpering again.

“Lance, Lance, hey.” He was overstepping, a servant wasn't supposed to do these things; but he couldn’t stand by with Lance so downtrodden. Clay rested a hand on Lance's shoulder. It really said something that Lance didn’t complain.

“ _You_ need to cry.”

“But I don’t - “

“I know you don’t, but you’ll feel better if you just let it happen.”

“The only thing that could make me feel better at this point is a spa day - for a fortnight.” Lance turned away, watching the black along his cheeks as the tears kept streaming in the vanity. He let out a sudden, harsh sob and buried his face into his hands. “And my hair-!”

Clay was definitely overstepping his position now, but he climbed up onto the bed and sat behind Lance. He thread his fingers through his hair and carefully set to brushing it. Dennis caught on quickly and gathered Lances makeup kit from the vanity, fishing out a golden brush.

Sobs turned to sniffles and Lance melted back against him. Clay moved him to lay comfortably before settling down at the foot of the bed again, staying by his side.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas I'm actually updating this one again!

Lance Richmond jolted awake, coming face to face with his father. He was caught between confusion for the fact he was here and fear for the fact _he was here, in his room_. His father never came into his room.

At least Clay had been smart enough to leave.

“Out of bed, Lancelot! The transport is waiting!” His father snapped, pulling the blankets off and taking his son by the wrist.

Lance went limp, still trying to process what was going on. “Transport? Father, what’s going on?”

“It’s the day we’ve been waiting for, son! Now get out of bed, get dressed! The Academy waits for no one!”

Lance had obeyed, shirt halfway over his head when the words finally hit him. He quashed the dread that began to rise and pulled his shirt back down with a huff. Cuthbert Richmond watched his son flop back onto the bed with a furious glare.

“What are you- Lancelot, out of bed!”

The blankets were pulled over his head. The mound whined. His father fisted the blankets and heaved, but his son held firm.

“Up! Now!”

Lance whined louder.

An exasperated “Oh for goodness sake!” echoed from the hallway and in marched a line a squirebots. With the wave of his hand and a roll of his eyes, the squires start pulling the young master out of bed. Lance yelps and struggles to grip the bed, only to be pulled unceremoniously to the floor.

“I can’t go to the Knight’s Academy! I-I don’t have the grades!” He tried to protest, struggling against the many metal claws trying to heft him off the floor. Despite his best efforts his arms are pinned to his sides and his back left the floor.

His father had gone to wait outside, joining his mother’s side in the hallway. Both were clearly annoyed by his struggle. 

“There’s no need for grades when you have the right coinage. I’ve already cleared it with my good friend, the king.”

“There’s already a spot reserved for you at the Academy.” His mother chimed in.

“But I don’t want to go!”

The squirebots were moving quickly to the hallway. Lance lifted his legs free and dug his heels into the floor and they came to a blessed stop. He heard a clap from one of his parents and there were more squirebots, taking his legs and feet and holding them still. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

“Now Lancelot, would you just-”

“I won’t do it! I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!” 

The servant’s door beside him clicked, and Clay crouched through and into the open. The scene before him had him drawing his sword.

“Ah, Mister Moorington!” Cuthbert’s words made Clay pause. He’s smiling at him, looking impressed. “See, Lancelot; if you go to the Knight’s Academy you will _learn_ , and maybe you could be like your servant.”

“Do show us your skills, dear,” Goldie is smiling too, gesturing to her son, “Take him down to the transport.”

Clay looked between his struggling, restrained master and his parents. His sword slid back into its sheath. 

The cry Lance made when he picked him up made his heart ache, but he steeled himself. Turning to the Richmond’s, he gave them a firm nod and started for the stairs. They followed him a few steps behind and he picked up his pace to get farther ahead.

“Lance,” he whispered.

“Clay Moorington, I order you to-”

“Don’t stop struggling.”

Lance fell silent.

“I said don’t stop,” He hissed.

Lance barked at him. “What is that supposed to mean! Let me go-”

Clay really didn’t want to resort to this, but Lance had fallen still against him. He adjusted his hand where it lay under his knees and pinched-

Lance yiped and was straining against him all over again.

They passed through the main hallway and outside where the hover carriage sat waiting for them. Seeing it so close sent Lance into a fit of tears, and Clay couldn’t bear it any longer.

He tossed Lance over his shoulder and _ran_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has a comic with it! I've tried to put it where it matches along with the story, but I drew this right after I wrote the chapter with only impressions that were left in my brain, and the dialogue isn't exactly the same as what's in the actual fic. But I had a lot of fun! I'd really like to do this more, its good comic practice

Evening fell and with it a heavy downpour. They had to ditch the hay wagon they had been hiding in and had been walking for some time, but they were close. Their cloaks clung to them and Lance had started to cling to him too. He was shivering hard. They needed to move faster.

The woman behind the counter greeted them as they entered the inn.  
“No vacancy!”

His heart dropped.

“There has to be something, please! We’ll take anything.”

Lance didn’t like that, judging by the way he squeezed his waist. But the woman slammed her fist against the book and waved them off.

“No vacancy! Get out!”

Maybe he would try a different approach… “Is Axl here? Can I talk to him?”

She looked surprised at that and actually hopped down, seemingly to fetch him. Clay stayed where he was, letting Lance relax. He eased up on his grip and even seemed to step away until Axl actually came out. Given how massive Axl was compared to his mother… and everyone else, it didn’t surprise him that Lance was immediately close to his side again.

He took one look at the two and gestured them to his room. They were all silent until Axl had closed the door and turned to his friend.

“Clay! I haven’t seen you since you went to work in Auremville! And I can see it’s paying off; your cloak looks like it costs more than my house!”

But Clay wasn’t smiling. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I’m sorry Axl, but I can’t stay long. The Richmond’s are after me.”

Axl’s jaw dropped. “For what!? You’re the most honest guy I know! You wouldn’t do anything that was against the Knight’s Code!”

“I may have… kidnapped their son.”

And Axl lost it. Clay struggled to say something to calm him, or at least to keep him from screaming at him the way he was.

“Axl! I couldn’t let Lance stay there!”

“Why!?”

Clay looked back to Lance, who had shrugged off his cloak and was now staring at its soaking mound on the floor. He yanked on Axl’s shoulder, pulling him down to eye level.

“Because Lance wasn’t being treated right. His parents are horrible-” Axl opened his mouth to speak but Clay cut him off with a hard look. “Yes, I could have done it differently, but that didn’t matter in the moment. They were going to send him to the Knight’s Academy-”

Axl finally got a word in. “Isn’t that where you want to go? What’s so bad about that?”

“You don’t know Lance. There was no way he would go to the Knight’s Academy unless they dragged him there kicking and screaming. And they almost did until I stepped in.”

Axl winced.

“What do you need me to do, buddy?”

“We just need a place to stay, somewhere to lay low until it’s safe. Cuthbert Richmond is close to the king, it’s only a matter of time until there are knights and squirebots tracking us down.”

Clay straightened. Lance was trying to find a place to sit, but looked disgusted at everything he saw around him. At the moment he was examining what looked like a woodbox beside the fireplace.

“Preferably somewhere nice.”  
\-----  
Thankfully there had been vacancy at their family’s hotel. It just hadn’t been anything Axl’s mother had thought they could afford. Judging by the state of the room, not many could afford the room. Axl assured them they wouldn’t be disturbed up here.

He left them to make themselves comfortable while he went to get them towels and something to eat.

That was when Lance had started crying.

He dropped heavily onto the bed and buried his face in his hands, shoulders heaving with hushed sobs. Clay was at his side in an instant. But there really wasn’t anything he could say. He had done this to him, had torn him away from his home and everything he knew and brought him here.

Clay sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and hugging him tight. Lance looked up then, face stained with tears and mascara running.

“Why… why would you do this to me?”

“Lance, I’m sorry but I couldn’t-”

“How could you take me to such a dirty, poor place! When we get out of here I’m going to wreak of peasants for weeks!”

Clay couldn’t help but sigh.

“It won’t be long, I promise. We just have to wait until we can get to the capital without being caught. I have a good friend who works for the king, he can get us an audience and we can sort this out.”

To his surprise, Lance accepted it. He scrubbed at his eyes and let himself fall back on the bed. Clay got up, gathering their cloaks and hanging them over what chairs were in the room by the fairplace.

At length, Lance spoke.

“If you had listened to my parents, you could have gone to the Knight’s Academy, you know. I know you’ve been trying to save up to go.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Clay shrugged, keeping his eyes down, “But you would have been miserable. It wouldn’t sit right with me to have a free ride because of someone who didn’t want to be there.”

The brunette moved back to the bed, sitting on the corner. After what had happened that morning, the weight of it all pressed down on his shoulders. He stared down at his hands.

“And I definitely wouldn’t want to go after being the one to drag you out to that hover-carriage.”

Lance rolled to his side, a desperate look on his face as he looked up at the other.

“I don’t care about that anymore. Maybe if we went back they would change their mind about the Academy. We could be home, eating gold-basted mutton, sparkling water, the best of the best.”

Clay looked unsure. “I’m sorry, Lance, but I really don’t think they would. After the way they treated you-”

The blonde smacked his palm against the bed. “They always do that! It doesn’t matter!”

Clay turned on him in an instant and clutched his hand in both of his own. Lance couldn’t hide the way he flinched. But Clay dropped to eye level beside him on the bed and just held his hand, a stern look in his eyes.

“No one should ever be treated that way, Lance, especially not you, especially not by your parents. Your parents are supposed to pick you up, make you a better person, not… that.”

Lance looked away. Clay held his hand tighter, drawing his attention back.

“You’re so talented, Lance! You deserve to be an actor, if that’s what you want! You can do whatever you want! Nobody can force you to do anything.”

Lance smiled weakly. “Even make me stay in a dirty hotel in the middle of the poorest village in Knighton?”

Clay laughed. “That’s different!”

His expression went serious again. “We won’t be here long. I’ll make things right, I promise.”

It was then that Axl returned, carrying a large platter of foods. Upon seeing the two, layed out of the bed together, holding hands, he froze in the doorway. Clay snapped his hands away as if he had been burned. He shouldn’t have, he couldn’t-

But Lance didn’t seem to care. He grinned, rolling up and off the bed.

“Finally! Something to eat!”


End file.
